Wounded Soul
by AyumiFallassion
Summary: Restoring their Bodies wasn't Ed's only reason to chase the Philosopher's Stone
1. Wounded Souls

This may be only a one shot, but I already have ideas on how it might evolve into more.

Disclaimer: I do not own Full Metal Alchemist, or the His Dark Materials series.

Wounded Souls

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><p>Their bodies were only one of the reason's Edward Elric wanted to find the Philosopher's Stone.<p>

Ever since the disastrous night they attempted to resurrect their mother, he had been able to see, things. There had been a hint of these ever since their mother died, the faint wisp of light and dust and the whisper of a heron's cry as Trisha breathed her last.

The next time had been on that horrible night they had tried to bring her back. As he lay bleeding on the floor, mind reeling from all the information he had been given, the cry of a wounded animal caught his ear. A creature that was desperately clinging to the floor, flicking between forms to try and hold on with paw, claw, talon and fang, as it bled out onto the seal. A second animal was nearby, part of it's leg missing, in the same place as Ed's bleeding leg.

It wasn't his blood that was used in the seal. It was that of the wounded creature next to the seal. Glowing eyes greeted him as the seal took hold, the cat cradled in his arm as the wounded one clung desperately to the armor.

Ed thought the sight of the animals was him hallucinating. His wounds were bandaged up, and his own spirit, his daemon as he started to think of her, slowly healed, but her limbs never returned. His brother's though stabilized, even if she refused to move more than a few feet from the suit of armor. Granny Pinako's raven was an imperious force around the house, while Winry's daemon, though still able to shift like the boy's seemed to prefer a jackrabbit, tough, mean, and smart. To the dull brass eyes of the mutilated boy, they were nothing more than hallucinations left over from his trip beyond the Gate.

It wasn't until after the Military came by, the tall man with the bright red salamander clinging to his glove that he was forced to snap out of his depression. If he was forced to become a dog of the military in order to save his brother, in order to restore both body and soul, then by the Gate, he would sell himself to the State.

"Are we doing the right thing?"

Ed looked up from his position on the guest bed, Al trying to sleep in the nest room over. His new automail limbs were finally working correctly, and they were departing for the Capital in the morning. He looked over at his daemon, currently a blackbird as she perched on the bed post. The automail on his body reflected on the bird, new flesh not true metal, but the shiny color of it, no matter what the form.

Ed shook his head after a minute. He still wasn't used to talking with the daemon. Unlike him, she tended to be quieter. Part of him still wondered if she wasn't all in his head. "The military is the best way to gain information. The library is second to none alone." He glanced away from his soul. "If they have any information that can help us, or anything on you and the other daemons, it'll be worth the pain."

The blackbird ruffled her wings, and Ed shook his head. "I hope that Colonel was telling the truth about everything in Central, whoever he was." He looked over at the bird, offering his arm for her to perch on. "Hell, even after a year, I don't know what to call you."

The bird smiled, jumping down to his lap in order to change into a lion cub. "Yes you do. You already know my name. You just have to think about it."

Ed blinked, then smiled as the name seemed to flow up from his heart. He wrapped an arm around the cub, lying back down with her across his chest as he murmured, "Adrasteia..."

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><p>Cat: Guardianship<p>

Blackbird: The Gateway, Inner Call

Dog: Protection, Loyalty, Faithfulness

Heron: Loyal Love. Herons mate for life.

Hare: Intuition

Salamander: Fire, Renewal, Adaptability, Resourcefulness. Considered a powerful alchemical symbol.

Lion: Strength, Courage, Keeper of Underworld, Highest symbol of Alchemy. Ultimate Protector.

Raven: teacher, healing, protection, transformation, change in consciousness.

Adrasteia: Not inclined to run away.


	2. Soulless

Well, it's evolved!

Disclaimer: I do not own Full Metal Alchemist, or the His Dark Materials series.

Soulless

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><p>Homunculi don't have Daemons.<p>

That was his first hint that something was terribly wrong with the pair that attacked him in the 5th Laboratory. Adrasteia was as injured as he was, but her hackles were up, cat's claws ready to shred as they stared at him.

The strange thing, was when he thought back about the fight, their eyes kept flickering to Adra, as if they could see her, even if they didn't have souls of their own. But that couldn't be possible. The little amount of research he'd found on daemons all implied that they were only seen if the person survived human transmutation, if they survived going through The Gate. If so, how could creatures that can't perform alchemy to begin with be able to see her? To see the pair of snakes that belonged to the Slicer Brothers die in wisps of gold light and dust as their seals were pierced? And if they could see them, and knew them for what they were, how could they bring themselves to kill so callously?

And yet, while the Homunculi didn't back daemons, one didn't fit the mold. One DID have a daemon, though pale and drawn. A wolf that seemed torn. Torn between protecting her human and hating him, and seemingly torn away from the man himself.

Her coloring alone should have been suspicious. Ed had seen others with pale colored daemons. Havoc's beautiful setter was a rare pale color, and Hawkeye's falcon was the color of the sand. But this wolf was nothing but white, almost see-through. And seemed to be perpetually in pain. Wishing to draw away from him, yet stuck by his side.

Greed was the same as the others from the 5th Laboratory, without a daemon, and hinting that he could see Ed and Al's. But the raid forced him to see the military for how harsh it can be, and the death of Martel opened Al's eyes. To life, and to the Gate.

"How long have you been able to see them?"

Ed grinned, Adra rubbing her head against his real knee, purring in her form of a cat. "A few years now." The grin faded a little. "Ever since, that night in Risembool."

Al looked up at his brother from where he was marveling over his own cat, the self-named Dalia. "Does the Colonel have one?" he asked, curious.

The blond grinned, describing the pair. Mustang had been in one of his rare rants, this one about miniskirts of all things, and his little salamander had been on his shoulder, yelling along with him in a surprisingly strong voice, declaring that she, Aodhan, would help Mustang become one of the greatest Alchemists in the world and the Furher before the end of the decade. It had taken everything for Ed not to laugh at the surprising glimpse at the Colonel's true character. And then Havoc's reaction to the proclamation had been accompanied by the happy howls and dancing from his setter.

"Can anyone else see them?"

Ed shook his head, Adra climbing up onto his shoulder, flicking black and silver wings as she danced on bird's feet on his shoulder. "The little we've found, you need to have survived the Gate," he murmured, flesh hand reaching up to cup protectively around Adra. He still remembered the pain of their injuries, the physical of his arm and leg, and the soul-deep wrench of her own wounds. Al just nodded, metallic hand wrapping around Dalia, pulling the now husky puppy up to his shoulder.

"So now what?"

Gold eyes flicked up. "Now, we got to see Teacher. See if she knows anything about the Stone." He shuddered, hugging Adra to him. "Please, don't let her kill us!"

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><p>Cat: Guardianship<p>

Dog: Protection, Loyalty, Faithfulness

Salamander: Fire, Renewal, Adaptability, Resourcefulness. Is considered a powerful alchemical symbol.

Adrasteia: Not inclined to run away

Aodhan: Fire

Dalia: Fate, Luck

Serpent: Destroyer, wisdom, malice.


End file.
